[CM] CM Steering Committee vs. CM Planning Team vs. CM Team

Crisis Management Trio: Steering Committee vs. Planning Team vs. Crisis Team

Effective crisis management relies on a coordinated effort between three distinct groups: the steering committee, planning team, and crisis team.

The Crisis Management Steering Committee, comprised of senior leadership, provides high-level oversight and makes strategic decisions during a crisis. It also ensures alignment with organizational goals and allocates resources.

On the other hand, the Crisis Management Planning Team focuses on developing and maintaining the crisis response plan. This team, made up of subject matter experts from various departments, identifies potential threats, creates detailed response protocols, and trains the crisis team. They continually update the plan based on lessons learned.

Finally, the Crisis Management Team implements the plan during a crisis. Activated only for specific events, this team coordinates response efforts across departments, manages communication, and mitigates the impact of the crisis. Essentially, the steering committee provides direction, the planning team builds the roadmap, and the crisis team navigates the course during a crisis.

These three groups all play crucial roles in an organisation's crisis management preparedness and response, but with distinct functions:

Crisis Management Steering Committee

Function: High-level oversight and strategic decision-making.
Composition: Senior executives (CEO, CFO, COO) and legal counsel.
Activities:

• Approve crisis management plans and policies.
• Provide resources and funding for crisis preparedness.
• Make critical decisions during a crisis (e.g., resource allocation, public communication strategy).
• Oversee the overall crisis response and recovery efforts.

Focus: Long-term strategy, big-picture decisions, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
Active During: Primarily before and after a crisis, convening as needed during the crisis for critical decisions.

Crisis Management Planning Team

Function: Develop and maintain the crisis management plan.
Composition: Subject matter experts from various departments (security, communications, HR, IT).
Activities:

• Conduct risk assessments to identify potential crisis scenarios.
• Develop detailed response protocols for each crisis scenario.
• Create communication plans for internal and external stakeholders.
• Train crisis team members on the plan.
• Update the crisis management plan based on lessons learned from exercises and real-world events.

Focus: Creating a comprehensive and actionable plan for crisis response.
Active During: Primarily before a crisis, but may be involved in updating the plan after a crisis event.

Crisis Management Team

Function: Execute the crisis management plan during a crisis event.
Composition: Representatives from various departments based on the specific crisis (e.g., IT for a cyberattack, public relations for a product recall).
Activities:

• Implement the crisis management plan.
• Manage communication with stakeholders.
• Coordinate response efforts across different departments.
• Mitigate the impact of the crisis and work towards recovery.

Focus: Direct response and actions during a crisis event.
Active During: Activated only during a crisis event and operates until the crisis is resolved.

Executive Summary of Comparison of CM Teams

Summing Up ...

Here's an analogy:

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